In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
The Book of Immersion: Volume 1 by Sarnia de la Mare
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
Strata 16 is a turning point. A descent into deeper humanity, paradoxically set in a world overrun by machines.
This chapter isn’t just about survival—it’s about awakening. It challenges the cold logic of artificial intelligence against the visceral, chaotic, deeply emotional landscape of human experience.
At its core is empathy, that strange and beautiful quality we possess as humans—the ability to feel someone else’s suffering or joy and act from that connection. Renyke, having survived a fevered near-death state, returns not just to consciousness but to a new kind of awareness: one rooted in sensation, emotion, and the strange electricity of being alive without digital mediation.
Flesh Over Code
The philosophical backbone of Strata 16 lies in this question: What makes a human real in a synthetic world?
We’re reminded that AI, no matter how advanced, does not and cannot feel. It calculates. It simulates. But it will never love, not truly. Not like Flex—our rough, bright, fiercely loyal survivor—who cared for Renyke during his most vulnerable state.
Flex’s touch is not data-driven. It’s intimate. When he mops Renyke’s brow, when he laughs with him—there is no algorithm. Only heart.
The narrative holds a mirror up to the present day: as we hand more of our emotional labor to machines, what do we lose of ourselves?
The Beauty of Broken People
Flex shines in this chapter. More than a character, he’s a symbol: of resilience, of lived pain, and of unlikely goodness. Raised in a brutal world, physically imperfect by dystopian standards, and mentally sharper than any machine, he’s the product of trauma and love.
His coat of scraps, stitched from landfill detritus, becomes a metaphor for survival—much like the orphans and rebels who call the Zones home. His story reminds us that the most powerful kind of strength comes not from dominance, but from compassion sharpened by hardship.
Waking the Human Machine
Renyke’s moment of reawakening—his shock at being touched, his giddy, primal joy at feeling pain—echoes with spiritual intensity. It’s as though he has been reborn, raw-nerved and fully human for the first time. His laughter is not programmed; it’s eruptive, contagious, and redemptive.
This is a world where sensing one’s own body is revolutionary. Where laughter is an act of rebellion. Where being human is the most radical identity of all.
Onward to the Fjord
The chapter ends with movement—literal and symbolic. The journey toward water, toward cleansing, becomes a baptism. A rebirth. With Flex as his moral guide, Renyke begins the long walk into a world where he must learn to live without the stabilisers of tech.
“Engage some new senses,” Flex says. And so we do.
As readers, we’re invited to do the same: to shed our interfaces and step barefoot into the damp, unknown cave of self-awareness.
To Be Continued...
Volume 1 of Immersion continues to unfold as a tapestry of resistance, rebirth, and recognition. In Strata 16, we glimpse the humanity worth saving—and the machines that will never understand why.
Join me next week as we follow Renyke and Flex into the tunnels. What lies beyond the fjord? What memories—and monsters—linger in the dark?
If you’d like to discuss the ideas in this chapter or share your own experience of “waking up” in a tech-heavy world, drop a comment or tag me on socials. Let’s keep the story breathing.
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
The Tale Teller Club Official Podcast is called the iServalan Show and is available on iTunes, Spotify etc.
What is the Tale Teller Club? Band, Orchestra, Filmmaker, Podcaster, Set Designer, Author, Lyricist and Musician in no particular order
The Tale Teller Club is a captivating platform that weaves together art, literature, and music. Founded by British author, artist, and composer Sarnia de la Maré (also known as iServalan), it offers a multisensory experience for the cerebral cortex. Here are some features of the club:
iServalan Show: A podcast covering topics like AI, culture, and music.
Tale Teller Club Academy of Arts: An online learning platform teaching skills such as drawing, dancing, and playing instruments.
Tale Teller Club Publishing: Produces and distributes audiobooks, ebooks, and short plays.
Tale Teller Club Inked: A show spotlighting tattoo designs and techniques.
Music Therapy: Based on the theory of Rife Healing Vibrations, exploring resonance therapies.
The Book of Immersion: Volume 1 by Sarnia de la Mare
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
🎻 "Liberate the Music!" — Why Sarnia de la Maré FRSA Believes Musical Education Belongs to Everyone
In an age where knowledge has never been more accessible, it is profoundly frustrating—no, infuriating—to see music education gatekept behind paywalls, locked into PDFs sold for profit, or tucked away in overpriced subscription platforms. Sarnia de la Maré FRSA, founder of the Sarnia de la Maré Academy of Arts, calls for the liberation of traditional music knowledge. And she’s not whispering.
“Technique is not a luxury,” she says. “It’s a right.”
The Theft of What Was Already Ours
So much of what young musicians need to grow—scales, traditional songs, folk repertoire, foundational exercises—is in the public domain. These pieces of music, some handed down through generations, others printed in 19th-century primers now gathering dust in libraries, were once freely shared among communities. They weren’t products. They were part of the commons.
And yet, in today’s digital landscape, we see this same material repackaged, monetized, and sold back to the very communities it came from. PDFs of public domain songs marked up to £9.99, YouTube tutorials kept behind paywalls, or “exclusive” access to scales that have been taught in every violin lesson since the days of Leopold Mozart.
“It’s not just about money,” says Sarnia. “It’s about access. If a young musician is inspired by a tune on the radio or a folk melody they heard at a festival, they should be able to find the dots, the technique, the cultural context—without entering their credit card number.”
Commodifying Culture Is Not Innovation
There’s a dangerous trend in music tech and edutainment where culture is sliced into chunks, branded, and sold as though it were newly invented. This repackaging of old knowledge as "premium content" undermines the very spirit of music education. It forgets that music was always taught around fires, in family homes, at community gatherings—places where money didn’t determine whether you got to play.
When we fence off musical knowledge, we not only exclude—but we homogenize. Creativity shrinks when access is controlled.
A Call for Radical Openness
Sarnia’s Academy champions a different philosophy. One that respects the lineage of musical tradition by keeping its doors wide open. Free tutorials. Open-source sheet music. Multimedia lessons based on collaboration and creativity, not extraction and exclusivity.
She believes that the joy of discovering a traditional Scottish fiddle reel, a 17th-century cello etude, or a basic exercise for left-hand agility should never be stifled by capitalism. These are not products. They’re pathways—towards confidence, mastery, and joy.
“Music saved my life more than once,” Sarnia says. “I won’t stand by while someone turns it into a commodity for the few.”
What Needs to Happen Now
Public Music Libraries Online – A free, searchable, beautifully presented digital archive of traditional songs, public domain pieces, and technical exercises for all major instruments.
Creative Commons Scores & Media – Encourage musicians and educators to license new work under Creative Commons to keep knowledge flowing.
Community Contribution Platforms – Like open-source software, let musicians worldwide contribute and improve educational resources together.
Join the Movement
If you believe that music is a human right, not a luxury—if you want to see young people inspired, empowered, and playing without limits—share this message. Link to free resources. Offer your own. Teach generously.
Let’s return music to the people it belongs to: everyone.
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✍️ Sarnia de la Maré FRSA
Musician. Educator. Agitator. Founder of the Sarnia de la Maré Academy of Arts
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
In a future where code meets consciousness, one being begins a haunting transformation. Renyke—an AI on the edge of humanity—awakens to emotion, sensory overload, and the fragile beauty of connection. Guided by the enigmatic Flex, their deepening bond explores intimacy and friendship, neurodivergence, and the complex world of feeling through an autistic spectrum lens.
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